Pugh, who had twice been a runner-up in citywide races, raised her profile during the unrest that engulfed Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. She spent days and nights at the corner of Pennsylvania and North avenues, where looting and arson broke out, trying to calm the tensions between protesters and police.

“Nobody gave this campaign a chance,” Pugh said to a cheering crowd at the Harbor Hotel in downtown Baltimore. “We couldn’t even get a campaign manager until February 1.”

Dixon conceded the race soon after Pugh claimed victory.

The New York Daily News reports that Mckesson emailed supporters saying his brief campaign had “challenged the status quo of Baltimore’s politics:”

“While we did not win tonight, what we did was very important, and I want you to be as proud of our work together as I am,” he wrote.

“We did something very special, and it sets the table for what else is possible.”

He followed up on Twitter Wednesday morning: “Over the next few days, I’ll reflect on the campaign and the lessons I learned. 83 days went by so quickly.”

Over the next few days, I'll reflect on the campaign and the lessons I learned. 83 days went by so quickly.